Visiting outside the winter months, flying into Pellston or Sault Ste. Marie regional airports, staying overnight on the island, and seeing a few other nearby attractions in the Upper Peninsula is the best way to get the most out of your trip to Mackinac Island!

Best Time To Visit Mackinac Island: Technically, Mackinac Island is open year-round, but due to the brutal winters in Michigan, especially in the northern section of the state, most of the facilities are closed during the snowy winter months. Unquestionably, summer with warm weather is the best time to explore Mackinac island! However, summer is also the busiest season in Mackinac Island, packed with tourists, and advance lodging and ferry reservations are a must if you’re traveling during the summer months, especially during weekends. If you don’t mind slightly cold weather, visiting during late spring and fall is a great way to beat the crowd at Mackinac Island.

Time Required In Mackinac Island: Mackinac Island is pretty small, and with the availability of guided horse-drawn carriage tours, you could easily explore all the major highlights of the island in just one day! However, Mackinac Island and other attractions in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are remotely located and require a good amount of driving, so it’s a good idea to take a break from driving and spending a night on the island or on the mainland in Mackinaw City or St. Ignace. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is home to several other attractions located not very far from Mackinac Island, including Tahquamenon Falls, Kitch-iti-kipi, Pictured Rocks, and Copper Harbor, and I highly recommend adding a day or two to your Mackinac Island itinerary and visiting a few of these attractions when visiting Mackinac Island.

Getting To Mackinac Island: Mackinac Island is pretty far from all major international airports making regional and domestic airports the best option to get to Mackinac Island. Unfortunately, there are no direct train and bus services to Mackinac Island, and the closest train / bus stops are located pretty far south of Mackinac Island in southwest Michigan.

• Flight: Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County (PLN), Pellston, Michigan, about 15 miles from Mackinaw City and Chippewa County International Airport (CIU), Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, around 42 miles from Mackinaw City, are the closest regional airports to Mackinac Island with connecting flights from Detroit. Many people also fly into Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), Detroit, Michigan, approximately 295 miles from Mackinac Island, and then drive to Mackinaw City.
• Train: There are no direct train services to Mackinac Island, and the closest major Amtrak station to Mackinaw City is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, about 240 miles from Mackinac Island.
• Bus: Unfortunately, Greyhound doesn’t offer any direct bus service to Mackinac Island, and the closest major Greyhound bus stop is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, around 290 miles from Mackinaw City.
• Ferry To Mackinac Island: Star Line Ferry and Sheplers Ferry offers ferry services to Mackinac Island from the mainland cities of Mackinaw City and St. Ignace.

Transportation In Mackinac Island: Mackinac Island doesn’t allow cars or any self-propelled vehicles on the island for safety reasons, and the only way to navigate the island is by using horse-drawn carriages or bikes. You could either bring your own bikes to Mackinac Island or rent from one of the several bike rentals located in Downtown Mackinac Island after disembarking from the ferry. 

Guided Tours In Mackinac Island: Mackinac Island Carriage Tours offers well-narrated and well-paced horse-drawn carriage tours of the island, featuring all major attractions on Mackinac Island, and is the best way to explore the island if you’re pressed for time. The tickets for the carriage tours can be purchased in person from the ticket office located near the ferry dock on the island or reserved online, along with your ferry tickets on Star Line Ferry and Sheplers Ferry. The Mackinac Island Carriage Tours company also offers private tours and horse-drawn taxi services, which can be reserved by calling the dispatch office at (906) 847-3323.

Lodging & Dining In Mackinac Island: There are quite a few resorts and bread and breakfasts on the island and on the mainland in the cities of Mackinaw City and St. Ignace. However, being a popular tourist destination, advance lodging reservations are recommended, especially during the summer months. Mackinac Island also features many restaurants ranging from fine dining to casual eateries located in Downtown Mackinac Island, serving various cuisines. I have reviewed the lodging and dining options in Mackinac Island in detail in the later section of this post. 

Other Attractions Near Mackinac Island: Michigan is truly blessed with nature, especially the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which is home to several other attractions besides Mackinac Island, including Tahquamenon Falls, in Paradise, about 80 miles north of Mackinac Island, Kitch-iti-kipi in Manistique, 105 miles northwest of Mackinac Island, Pictured Rocks around 115 miles north of Mackinac Island, and Copper Harbor, located approximately 310 miles further up north from Mackinac Island. It’s a lot to see and do on a single trip, but every place is unique and captivating, and I highly recommend visiting at least a few of them on your trip to Mackinac Island.